My Tipping Point
by Maelstrom590
Summary: For everyone, there is a tipping point in their lives. Something that changes them and others drastically in a short amount of time. It can be good or bad, positive or negative. It can break people or build them. For Hikigaya Hachiman, he just needs to figure out if his life turned upside-down or right-side up.
1. Chapter 1: Unknown Memories

**Chapter 1 - Unknown memories**

Hikigaya Hachiman POV

" _Hachi?"_

 _Right outside the brown, classroom doors, a blurry figure stood there. Hands behind her back, her long, blue hair flowed down gracefully to her waist. Slightly bent forward, her head tilted to one side and a concerned expression on her face, she gave off the impression of a graceful and mischievous young lady._

" _Huh? Oh, yo."_

" _Hachi! That's not how you greet your girlfriend!"_

" _Umm, we're not even dating."_

 _She giggled. "Not yet."_

 _I sighed. "Should you even be hanging around me? People are getting the wrong idea and your reputation is at stake here. It's better if you don't wait for me anymore."_

 _A pout. A cute one. "We've already had this conversation a hundred times Hachi! I don't care what those people think about me and you!"_

" _The latest rumour was that I was threatening you with… something… if you stopped 'serving' me."_

" _Are you really going to do something? Let's make it memorable for both of us!" Damn girl, quit making me blush! You're going to kill me one day. And don't look so cute while saying that._

 _Upon seeing my tomato face and averted eyes, she giggled and grabbed my arm, resting her head on my shoulder. "Let's go home, Hachi!"_

 _I sighed. She laughed. It was normal for this to happen between us. Her constant teasing and my reactions were events that happened every day. We walked and walked, talking and breathing in Chiba's fresh air. Suddenly, she turned to me and looked me straight in the eyes. Have those emerald eyes always looked so nice?_

" _Besides, they don't know you. The real you. But I do."_

 _I looked at her, the ends of my mouth curving up ever so slightly. How did my life turn out like this? "Thanks-"._

"Onii-chan! Wake up Onii-chan!"

I woke up, only to see a black-haired girl with an ahoge shaking me back and forth vigorously. Her teary eyes welled with happiness once she saw me looking back at her. "Wah, Onii-chan! Komachi thought you had died and was destined to spend the rest of the afterlife alone!"

I'm sorry Komach, please forgive me for the horrible sin have committed! Your Onii-chan doesn't deserve you!

"Komachi thought she would actually have to work hard instead of leeching off her brother's old summer projects!"

Oi, you brat! I thought I was supposed to be the one leeching off the blessings of others, not you!

"Morning Komachi.", I yawned, "What time is it?" I slowly detached my sister from me and looked at my clock, seeing that it read 8:15 am. Huh, why am I slowly filling with dread?

Wait, school starts at 8:30! Even worse, modern Japanese literature is the first period after homeroom, which meant that…

"Sorry, Komachi!", I yelled back to my imouto, whom I had left sitting on my bed, watching me run downstairs. "I need to prepare for school!"

I would _not_ start off my Monday getting punched by my unmarried, hopeless teacher.

* * *

The sound of knuckles echoed around the room. Unfortunately, no other staff member or student was present except me and the teacher string in front of me. The look she was giving me was truly terrifying, as though I was the last boss preventing her from reaching the 'married ending' in some anime game.

"Care to explain why you came late this morning, Hikigaya?"

"Well, you see Sensei, my alarm had failed me in my hour of dire crisis." Wait, that's something Zaimokuza would say in his Chuuni mode. I didn't have a lot of time to think since a fist found itself in my gut faster than I could open my mouth.

As I lay down on the floor, coughing and gasping, Hiratsuka-sensei sighed and rubbed her temple. "Honestly, can't you give a normal answer for once?". Wasn't that normal enough for you? What more do you expect?!

Sensei grabbed a file on her desk and handed it over to me. Trying my best to stand, I stared at the file that was currently in my right hand. Why did she give this to me?

"Sensei, what's this?" If it's another invitation to a wedding, I'm afraid I can't accept it. I've missed too many weekends with my precious Vita-chan and TV.

"Relax, Hikigaya, there's another reason why I asked you to come to my office." Oh? What's that? "I need you to tour someone new student around the school."

Sensei, did you just read my mind? That was some scary- wait what?

"I'm sorry Sensei, I must have heard you wrong. "

"Nope. All those words were no mistake."

"But why me!? Why am I the one who has to tour some new student around school? I mean, my talk may be informative and very long, but my social skills are down the gutter. I'll probably scare her away before it even starts!"

Hiratsuka-sensei sighed again. "Read her profile. It's in the file.", she said.

I flipped open the file. Ichiro Megumi. Top in school, best model studnet, student council president, yadda yadda. I stared in disbelief. This girl was loaded with awards and achievement. I looked at sensei to see if she had given me the wrong file, only to see the answer written on her face.

"B-but", I stuttered. Heck, this girl was even the daughter of the CEO of a famous international corporate business. She was like Yukinoshita 2.0!

"No buts, Hikigaya.", Sensei cut me off. "Think of this as a request from me as well. Who knows, maybe you'll get closer to this girl."

Excuse me Sensei, is your memory fading? You do realise this is me you're asking, right? Why not get someone like Hayama or Yukinoshita to do it? Is this one if the side effects of being old?

"No reason. I just wanted you to do it. And what's that part about me being 'old'?", she muttered menacingly. The sound of knuckles cracking filled the room. Hey, isn't physical abuse against students against the school rules?!

"Where are you going, Hikigaya? Our talk isn't finished yet." Sensei, you've learned how to read minds? I've got to get out of here as fast as I can. With that, I turned my back and sprinted towards the door that led to freedom…

...Only to have a hand grab the back of my collar and pull me back to prison.

Good job Hachiman. Your day is off to a great start.

* * *

By the time I had reached the clubroom, I was exhausted and ready to collapse. Seems like this particular encounter with Sensei had drained me of my energy. I was just about to open the door when I heard voices coming from inside the clubroom. Yuigahama's cheerful talking was so loud I could almost hear it clearly from the other side of the door. Wait a minute, was that Yukinoshita's frantic attempt at an argument?

I was about to open the door when a sudden thought struck me. Usually, when I entered the clubroom, their chatter would come to a halt and they would look at me, creating an air of tension and awkwardness due to my presence. Deciding that I could come later and that I could use some MAX Coffee, I pulled back my hand and went to the vending machine.

With a THUD, the MAX Coffee can fell down. I was just about to take it when I heard a voice behind me.

"Hikigaya?"

I turned around and behold, Kawasaki Saki was standing there. Well, at least I think it's her name. Is it?"

"Yo, Kawasaki. What're you doing?"

"Just hanging around." The fact that she didn't correct me means I got her name right. Yes! "What're you doing?"

"Buying MAX Coffee."

"Oh, ok."

Silence then settled down between us. After grabbing my can, I was about to open it, when I felt a tug in my sleeve. Turning around, I saw that the perpetrator was Kawasaki. "Umm, Hikigaya? Can you come to the roof with me?"

"For what?"

"Just come.", she said. Woah, that glare is scary, you know! You would have killed me by now.

Seeing no other alternative, I followed her up to the roof. It's not like anything bad would happen to me, and even if they did, I was confident I could escape. Actually, what did she want from me?

Reaching the roof, I saw Kawasaki turn around so that she was facing me. Her face was red, probably an effect of the orange sun that painted the sky an ocean of earthly colours. Her ponytail reflected the sunlight, making it appear much brighter than it usually was. All in all, this Kawasaki standing in front of me was way different from the one I'm familiar with. This cute Kawasaki was contrasting so much with the delinquent, loner one I know.

"H-Hikigaya?" That's weird. Does Kawasaki Saki stutter? Why was she acting like this? "W-will y-y-you, ummm….?"

I quickly looked away. I could feel my face growing hotter by the second. This was way too cub like a scene out of dating sims. What if…? No, Hachiman, snap out of it! The chances of a confession addressed to _you_ is so low! In fact, there isn't even any chance at all! With my newfound confidence, I coughed and looked back at her. "Yeah?"

If it was even possible, her face became even redder. Is it really hot out here? "W-will y-y-y-you g-go out…?"

" _Hachi?"_

A wave of memories hit me. Suddenly, my head hurt and I pushed my palm against it, attempting to ease the growing pain

" _W-why w-w-won't you accept it?!"_

"Hikigaya, are you okay?" Kawasaki became concerned and rushed towards me. I felt like I was going to collapse any second now.

" _I love you!"_

My head hit the floor and my vision turned black.

* * *

Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic and I'm not a good writer. I'm writing this because of the lack of stories on this site and I want something to do during my recreational time other than play my phone. I don't know how regularly I'll be updating this story due to busy school life. Anyways, see you in the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2: Unusual Day

**Chapter 2 - Unusual day**

Hi everyone! I'm back with a new chapter to My Tipping Point. In the last chapter, I made a mistake between Onee-chan and Onii-chan, so I fixed it. I'm very sorry as well. If you don't know, Onee-chan means 'big sister' while Onii-chan means 'big brother' I think. Anyways, hope you all enjoy it!

* * *

Hikigaya Hachiman POV

" _Let's go out, Hachi!"_

That voice again.

" _Where to? My wallets dying."_

" _Mou, Hachi! I'll pay for us!"_

That girl again.

" _Well, thanks."_

" _Don't you know it's rude to make a girl pay for you?"_

" _I'll gladly accept the offer of free food anytime."_

 _She giggled. "Idiot. But that's why I like you.", she whispered._

" _Come again?"_

" _Ah! N-nothing!"_

That memory again. But from where? Who's she? I don't remember knowing someone like that. Who did I know from middle school? Orimoto Kaori and…

...and who?

"-kigaya! Hikigaya!"

My eyes opened and were immediately blessed with a sight only dead men see. A white sky, with an angel looming over me. Have I died? It seems like the most likely scenario, considering that I'm currently seeing what can only be described as heaven.

Come to think of it, this angel looked really familiar. If I recall, I had a classmate who looked exactly like her. What was her name again? Kawasaki?

"Hachiman!"

Scratch that, I'm in the infirmary. That's also no angel, it _is_ Kawasaki. Disappointed, I say up, only to be pushed down by her. "No sitting up. You need rest."

"I'm fine, I'm much better now." Compared to what happened on the rooftop, my physical and mental state should be much better now. Actually, what did happen up there? "Kawasaki, do you know what happened to me?"

She suddenly looked flustered. "I-I don't know. You just passed out while muttering something."

"What did I say?"

"..." From her tomato-red face, I probably said something that caused her to become very, very angry. "Kawasaki?"

"..."

"Kawasaki-san?"

"..."

She had a dreamy look on her face. If I didn't know any better, she was probably imagining 101 ways to kill me. Ha! I'm an expert when it comes to situations like these! Just because a girl is concerned about your health doesn't mean that they have feelings for you. They could literally do it to anyone, you're not a special case at all! Heck, even your mom and your little sister can do such a thing!

Wait a minute, if she's planning to kill me, then what am I doing staying here?

Quickly, I lifted myself up and attempted to stand, only for a hand to roughly push me down on the bed. "Do you want to die?", a voice menacingly said.

Oh gosh, I'm going to die, aren't I? I never got to finish my light novels! I never got to finish watching the second season of my anime! I never got to write a book on 'How to be a good Onii-chan'! I never got to write my last will and testament! I never got to say goodbye to Koma-. "What the heck are you rambling about?"

Did I say that out loud? I really need to fix my habit of speaking my inner monologues. "I'm not going to kill you. Relax"

Phew.

"Anyways Kawasaki, what are you doing here?" The time was already past 6, so why was she here? Wait a second, could it be…? Nah, that's not possible. We've already discussed this.

"I was waiting for you, idiot." My heart immediately thumped, before I managed to calm down. "If you died, the blame would be put on me."

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but were you staying for the sake of your innocence instead of my health? That's cold!

"Where's Yukinoshita and Yuigahama?", I asked. Considering I never showed up to club, they'd probably assume I was either skipping or had something really urgent to do. Yukinoshita would probably be hoping I had died. Even in my death, her attitude still matches the extreme winter!

"They don't know. I didn't talk to them."

"Oh, ok. Well, it's best if we go home now."

"B-b-but y-you're still s-sick!" What's with the sudden change in tone? A minute ago, you were literally threatening to kill me! Are you a tsundere? "You might collapse again!"

"Don't worry. I'm strong enough to get home. Plus, my motivation is fueled by the thought of Komachi waiting for me!"

"Siscon…"

Like you're one to talk, damn brocon!

* * *

Did I forget to mention it was snowing?

In fact, it was snowing so hard I couldn't even cycle home, so I had to move my bike instead of riding it. Turns out, trudging through the thick layer of snow while dragging my bike was a lot harder than I expected. Especially since I still wasn't better.

Today's events were highly unusual. I thought back to Sensei's request (if I could even call it one). Who would have thought that _me_ , out of all the students she could have asked, would be the one she picked. Unfortunately, I had a feeling that I was the only one who'd accept in fear of witnessing her martial arts skills firsthand. This is why unmarried, smoking, 30-year old teachers are the worst. One minute, you could be talking with them normally with respect. The next, they'd physically threaten you to help them out. Isn't that sort of thing against the law?!

Arriving at my house 30 minutes later, I quickly went up and changed into warmer, drier clothes and collapsed on the couch, too exhausted to move. Why does it feel like I forgot something?

" _Hachi!"_

Oh, now I remember. _That_ voice. The one that appeared in my dream this morning and made another grand return on the rooftop that afternoon. What did she look like?

Long hair, blue. Emerald eyes. Tall, heights around my chin. Young, smart, rich….

Wow, I am sounding so much like a pervert right now. Good job Hachiman, maybe Yukinoshita's accusations of me being a sex offender came true.

"Onii-chan, what're you doing here?"

"Too tired to move."

"Rough day at school?"

"Please cook dinner and stop bothering me, you brat."

With a loud "Hai!", Komachi was off to the kitchen, leaving me lying on the couch. This is getting boring, maybe I should try to pass some time. One second, two seco-.

"Onii-chan! The food is done!"

Nani!? Has it really been that long? I could already smell the aroma of Komachi's cooking, which was heaven to my nose. As fast as I could, I jumped off the couch, all traces of exhaustion gone and replaced with newfound energy. Startling Komachi, I dashed towards the table, hellbent on enjoying the food made by my little sister.

* * *

I yawned, depressed at how my last few hours passed by. I had come home tired, but ate dinner rigorously, before, once again, feeling my body being pressed down by an indivisible force known as sleepiness. I guess it's true that eating a heavy meal makes you want to take a nap right now. But it was Komachi's cooking! Leaving even a single bit of rice was liable for the death sentence!

Laying down in my bed, my alarm clocked beeped, letting me know that it was already 11 pm. I could hear the sound of the snow falling and the wind blowing, causing me to pull my blanket higher just to protect me from the coldness. I wonder, maybe winter comes because Yukinoshita is in a bad mood. Get it, cause she's the _ice queen_?

For some reason, I couldn't stop thinking about Kawasaki. She was different today. Her soft side emerged, and that only happened when one of her siblings was around. Her personality today clashed with how she usually acted. I wonder what happened to her recently…

Sensei's request still lingered in my mind at the same time. This new, transfer girl, whoever she was, she seemed strange. I mean, Sobu was a prestigious school in a way, but why her? With her grades, she could easily apply for a much better school or even travel overseas. So why here?

With these two thoughts in my mind, I soon fell asleep without realizing it. The wind continued to howl at an empty night.

* * *

So, that's chapter 2. What do you guys think about the story so far? Good or bad? Okay? See you in the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3: Drastic changes

**Chapter 3 - Drastic changes**

Chapter 3, finished and uploaded.

I read through the reviews and I noticed some opinions some of you have. Yes, I will be adding Iroha to this story. In fact, I planned to introduce her in this chapter! There was also a mention of how this story was similar to 'Shiori-san to Hikigaya-kun'. To be honest, I tried writing several stories before, but I couldn't decide on what type it would be until I read that one.

Also, my chapters have been quite short, so I'll try my best to make them longer. Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Leave more if you want, it will really help me in pointing out my mistakes and anything opinions you all have.

Just a warning, my characters may be a bit OOC since I can't replicate their personalities that well. So, the next chapter.

* * *

Hikigaya Hachiman POV

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

With a groan, I woke up to the annoying sound of my alarm clock. Why do these things exist anyways? Why do I even have one of them? Alarm clocks were made just to annoy you so much so that you'd smash them in pieces. Then you'd realise that your clock was broken and you'd have to go out to buy one.

In fact, maybe that's how the clock business makes money. They indirectly compel people to break their own products, which they bought, and make them go out to purchase more of them to help them wake up early in the morning. Cool, a business that runs on the destruction of its own products. If I'm going to work, I should at least join the clock business.

However, being a house-husband is way better than sitting inside some store waiting for customers, growing insane due to the endless ticking of the clocks. Well, let's just put it at 2nd place of my future job lis-.

My phone suddenly rang, causing my eyes to dart towards it. I was wary of who'd be contacting me, and my experiences with the device hadn't exactly helped. With a sigh, I picked up my phone and answered the call. "Hello-"

"Hikigaya!"

"Sensei!?" Why would Sensei be calling me? I haven't slept in class for the past few days, nor have I not handed up any homework. Is it something to do with the Service club? If it was, then why would she call me right now instead of addressing it to everyone after school? "Hikigaya! Where the heck are you, you dipstick?"

New insult. Thanks, _Sensei_. "I'm in my bed. Why are you call-"

"In bed?! Right now?! Get out and come to school quickly!"

"Hmm? What's the rush? It's still-"

"Have you seen the time?!"

Let me speak woman! Isn't it plain rude to the interrupt the speaker during a conversation? Someone needs to teach you manners. No-one's going to want a girlfriend like that, let alone a wife. "No. Why?" I looked at the clock and saw that it read 8:15 am.

My first thought was, _oh, so that's the time_. My second was, _why's that important_? My third thought was, _OH GOSH IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR SCHOOL WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP KOMACHI I'M GOING TO BE LATE AAAHHHHH!_

Jumping out of my bed, it took me approximately 5 minutes to change into my uniform, put on my shoes, grab a can of MAX coffee, get on my bike and start running like crazy to Sobu High. I couldn't bike since the roads were laden with snow-white snow. The whole time, my phone sat in my pocket, with the voice of Hiratsuka-sensei repeatedly saying, "Hikigaya? Hikigaya!".

As I ran, the clouds were starting to gather up above, blocking out the sun and turning a dark-greyish colour. The wind also slightly picked up, making the snowing winter much, much colder. For some reason, I felt a chill run up my spine. An ominous warning from the weather, perhaps? Whatever the reason was, I couldn't waste anymore time thinking about it.

I quickly checked my watch. 8:27. Wow, had I really run that fast? I guess adding a bit of daily exercise into my schedule was showing its effect.

I kept running and running, not slowing down a bit. I was tired and panting. My whole appearance was in a mess. I was covered in snow and I wasn't able to change into my jacket. My shirt and pants were crumpled and I was even wearing my right sock over my left foot! I was about to lose hope of making it on time until I saw the building of Sobu High come into view. Beep. This train has reached its final destination. We hope you enjoyed the ride and have a pleasant trip.

I ran inside school and started to climb the stairs. One step, fifteen steps, a thousand steps. The concrete ground and walls passed by in a blur as I took two steps at a time. Reaching my floor, I made a dash to the left and sprinted. 2-A, 2-D, 2-F! Seeing my classroom in sight made me slow down and started to walk. Now that my classroom was there, I could just walk normally and take my time. In the end, i'll only be a few minutes late.

Actually, my legs and sides are killing me. I was sweating and huffing despite the cold weather that lingered outside the school walls. Maybe running was a bad idea after all, it probably would have been better if I had just walked normally and came two hours late instead. Sure, I would have been scolded and threatened mercilessly by Sensei, but if it came at giving up this horrible feeling of complete exhaustion, i'd gladly take the risk.

As I neared the classroom, I could hear a large comotion happening inside. What's happening, some kind of festival? Keep your voice down! How am I supposed to sleep peacefully if you all keep screaming? Dismissing the reason for the clamor, I stopped in front of the door before a voice came from my right.

* * *

"They're all talking about you, you know. About what you did."

Woah, what was happening? Why was there a girl right there? I didn't even see anyone. Was she talking about the incident with Sagami? My mouth, however, wasn't under my control anymore. "It's for the better."

"For the better?! I hate it!"

With a start, I realized I had seen her before. Long, blue hair fell in front of her face. Water flowed down her face and onto the ground… no, not water. Tears. From green eyes.

"Why did you have to do such a thing, huh?! I hate it! I hate them! Their sympathy, their pity, their comforting words… I hate it all!" By now, she was flat out screaming at me. Who are you? What are you? An imagination? A dream? A memory? Who?

"Trust me, you don't want to associate yourself with me. Ending things this way was much better. It _is_ better." I couldn't move, I had no control. These words were from my mouth, yet it wasn't me who was saying such a thing. "I'm doing this for both of us."

"I was much happier before it all happened! Idiot! Jerk!" I opened my mouth to respond, to explain my actions, to reason out my side of the explanation. To tell her why it had to happen. Why I had to do what I needed to do. I opened my mouth to speak-

* * *

A loud shout came through the door. I was suddenly greeted with a vision of me about to grab the door handle. What just happened? Wasn't I just talking to someone just now. I turned to my left, hoping to see who exactly was there… but I was met with nothing. Just the long corridor I had just ran through. Where was that girl? What was happening to me?

Was I daydreaming? It felt so real to me though. Then, a flashback was the most logical explanation. But I didn't remember having such a conversation. Neither did I remember that girl. The only person I knew from middle school was Orimoto, and I knew for a fact I never remember seeing her around Sobu.

I sighed. Maybe I should see a psychiatrist. Then, what should I do if he tells me to fix my past? I'll have to travel back in time to repeat the last 17 years of my life, making other choices and causing a ripple effect with results in me travelling into another universe where i'll have to be the unfortunate sidekick to the main hero protagonist! Wait, Hachiman. You're going too far. This is real life, not another one of those Chuunibyou delusions you made up back in high school.

Reinforced with my confidence that I was okay and not becoming mentally insane, I straightened out my attire and opened the door.

Instantly, the sound of my rowdy classmates ceased as I walked inside the door. What did I do? Refocusing my vision at the front of my class, I almost collapsed there and then. There were two people standing up in the front.

One of them I was very familiar with. Hiratsuka-sensei glared at me. The other one though… was staring right into my eyes. With a jolt, I realised that the ominous feeling must have been trying to give me a warning.

"Hikigaya, this is…"

This was not love at first sight. I recognized her the moment I laid my eyes on her. My dream, flashbacks, memories.

"...your new classmate…"

Top in school. Best model student. Blue hair. Emerald eyes. Familiar, yet forgotten.

"...Ichiro Megumi."

Ichiro Megumi smiled in my direction and bowed slightly.

"Hello, Hikigaya-kun. My name is Ichiro Megumi. Please take care of me."

* * *

"Hikigaya-kun, where are we going? Call me Megumi, by the way."

To say I was a bit nervous was an understatement. Hiratsuka-sensei, after Ichiro-san's introduction, had pulled me aside and started talking to me. Apparently, her reason for frantically calling me this morning was so that I could show Ichiro-san around school. Turns out, it was the same request Sensei gave only yesterday. So now, I was walking around school, showing the different places and layout to a girl who was currently latched onto my arm.

"We're going to the cafeteria, Ichiro-san."

"Jeez, I told you to call me Megumi."

"We've barely known each other 15 minutes and already you want to be on a first-name basis with each other?"

"Yep!" Stop smiling, your making me flustered. You're too much like a less happy, but only by a bit, Meguri-senpai. "Is there a problem?"

"There's a million ways it's a problem! First, you don't know me at all."

"Hmm? Of course I do."

Creepy. Was she some sort of stalker or something? Maybe she's keeping tabs on me like how a security guard keeps tabs on its prisoners. I'm not a criminal! "Oh, of course I know that."

Another mind reader?! Someone help me! "Oh yeah? How do you know that? In fact, I could do a lot of things if it was just me and you in an empty classroom."

A little trick I learnt to keep people away from you. Make them hate you and they'll never want to be within 10 miles of you. It's one of the few tactics I employed back in middle school so that no one would bother me.

"I wouldn't mind it."

See, I told you it… huh? What did you say? "Umm, Ichiro-san…"

"Hai?"

"You did hear me, right?"

"Yup! Loud and clear."

How am I supposed to react? Is this the end of the world? Is is time for me to die and be sent into the eternal abyss?

"In fact, we can do it right now?" With her hands, she suddenly pulled me into a dark storage closet. I don't even remember a storage closet being there. Was it by coincidence that one just happened to appear?

I felt my back pushed back against the wall and two arms wrap around my neck. Repeated breaths of air hit my neck, and I realise that Ichiro-san's face was buried in my neck. "I-Ichiro-san?"

"I missed you so much."

What?

"Everyday felt like eternity, before it ended and another one began."

"Ichiro-san, y-you're too c-close." I haven't been in such close contact with another girl except for Komachi and my mom. This was a foreign situation to me!

"But you're back. In my arms. You're still the same person. Even after all those years."

I gulped. I so desperately wanted to remove her from me right now. But there was something I had to do first. "Ichi-"

"Megumi." Seriously? Fine, I give up.

"Megumi?"

"Yes~?"

"You keep talking about our time together and after all these 'years', but I don't remember you at all. Did we know each other? Are you sure you have the right person?"

The last sentence appeared to have broken her out of her trance-like state. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. The same eyes I saw right outside my classroom, even though it wasn't real.

"You know how much it hurt to be away from you?! How I felt when I could no longer see you?! When I moved away from school, I was hurt! Broken! You are the right person, because you are Hikigaya Hachiman! I didn't want popularity or-or cliques and whatever popular people should have! I just wanted to be with you, to be near you!"

I appeared quite calm on the outside, but I was mentally freaking out in the inside. I was certainly the last person you'd expect to be alone with a crying girl, but I was still here. If someone walked through that door now, they'd probably misinterpret the situation and think I was taking advantage of her. Let's go Hachiman, calm her down.

"There, there. It's okay, just calm down.", I said, patting her head in the process.

Yeah, I know it's lame, but I have no experience in calming down hysterical girls. Except Komachi.

Fortunately, it seemed to do the trick. She stopped crying and the tears stopped falling. A few sniffles could still be heard. After a few moments, she looked up at me, no longer sad and smiling.

She pulled my arm towards the door. "Come on, Hachi!", she said before giving a short giggle, "You still haven't finished being my tour guide for today!"

Ouch, stop pulling on my arm! It hurts, are you trying to dislocate it. And who's Hachi anyways? Last time I checked, it was just the two of us.

* * *

To make a long story short, I took Megumi back to class after the tour, we had lessons, ate lunch together, went back to class and finished school. That explanation seemed quite long though.

After the bell chimed, signaling another day's worth of lessons to end, I immediately grabbed my back and went out of the classroom, stopping at the corner to wait for Yuigahama as usual.

When Yuigahama came, she seemed surprise that I was there. What, did you expect me to be like Tobe?

"Umm, Hikki, are you going to club today?", she asked nervously.

I raised my eyebrow. This was different from her usual cult greeting or her reprimanding me for not waiting for her. "Yeah? Why?"

"I-uh, I-I have to go ahead! Bye!", she stuttered, rushing past me. Weird, she usually doesn't act like this. Have my eyes become worse?

"Hachi! There you are! I've been looking around the whole school for y-, eh? Is something wrong?"

Without a word, I started to walk away towards the clubroom.

"Wait, Hachi? Are ignoring me?"

Megumi, it was still so hard to say that name, was still calling out to 'Hachi'. Not wanting to suffer, I walked away as fast as I could. May the romcom gods be with you, Hachi.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back. "There you are! I've been calling you this whole time!"

You were? Then where is this Hachi fellow you were calling earlier?

Tired from today's events, I ignored and her and kept on walking. A warmth then surrounded my right arm, and I knew it was Megumi hugging it. She had literally been attached to it the whole day. If she had dense metal for a brain, does that mean my arm's a magnet? Or can it attract metals? Like Magneto.

Trying to occupy my brain with these thoughts did me no good as I felt all my blood rush up to my cheeks. Her, well, _chest_ wasn't that flat. In fact, it was- NO HACHIMAN! We are _not_ walking down that road again.

Walking in complete silence with a girl humming what I assumed to be a song was awkward. Not so much because none of us were talking, but because it was hard to not think about- STOP IT!

"Neh, Hachi? Where are we going?" I stayed silent, eyes completely focused in front of me. I didn't sense anyone in my vicinity except the one walking next to me. All of a sudden, I felt a finger poke my cheek. Facing the perpetrator, she looked at me with her head tilted 45 degrees. Wait, have you been taking lessons from Isshiki? "I asked you a question."

When? I didn't hear any question. "Could you repeat it again?"

"I asked you where we were going."

"I'm going to my club. Where are you going?"

"I'm following you, you know?"

I'm sorry, Yuigahama, Yukinoshita. Please put up with this person at least for this afternoon. It'll all be over quickly.

As I approached the clubroom, I heard voices coming from inside. Two… no, three voices. Our president ice queen, residential airhead and sky student council president. Yukinoshita, Yuigahama and Isshiki. What are they talking about?

For a moment, I considered leaving, but decided against it. I already missed yesterday and it would be suspicious if I didn't come today as well. Even though every time I entered, conversations would cease and eyes were averted, which would result in me and Yukinoshita bantering while Yuigahama tried to mediate.

"Hikki's, well, really gross and creepy."

I paused. Was that Yuigahama? I debated whether to head inside or not. On one hand, this could be another one of her usual insults to me. On the other, I was curious as to what they were talking about. In the end, I chose the latter option and stayed outside.

Someone tugged on my arm. "Hachi, wha-"

"Shhhh.", I whispered, pressing a finger against her mouth. Her eyes widened before nodding her head, then she blushed and shook her head again, seemingly embarrassed about something. No time to dwell on the matter, though.

"I highly regret letting Hikigaya-kun into the Service Club. In fact, I wish he and I never met each other. It was because of only Sensei that I met one of the biggest problems in my entire life."

Yukinoshita. I clenched my fist, shaking with anger. Her holier-than-thou attitude was really pissing me off. I looked at Megumi, only to see a dark aura surround her. Can't blame her though. Finally, Isshiki's turn.

"Yeah! Senpai is really creepy, especially his eyes. I really hate it when he always looks at me with those eyes if his! Thankfully, I can make him do a lot of the student council work for me and he doesn't even suspect a thing!"

These… these… have they forgotten everything I did for them?! All of the deeds I've done and problems I fixed?

"Hikki is _really_ annoying. He even waited for me to go the clubroom with him!"

"Thanks to Hikigaya-kun, my life is more troublesome now. My sister keeps asking me about him and my reputation is tainted because of him."

"Hayama-senpai and I could have been together already if senpai didn't interfere with us!"

So this is what they actually felt. Towards me. A problem, an obstacle, a thing. To them, I was nothing more than a tool. Nothing. And I was angry. I hated them. They don't care about me, so why should I care about them? Brimming with rage, I grabbed the door and pulled it as hard as I could, slamming it loudly.

All three of them were startled. Yuigahama fell back, Yukinoshita dropped her cup and Isshiki jumped up. They all looked towards the door, only to see me standing there. I don't know what expression I was making or what aura I was excluding, but they all started shivering.

"Ah, s-s-senpai, h-how l-l-long-?"

"Cut the bullshit.", I answered venomously, making all of them flinch slightly. "I heard everything."

"H-Hikki…"

"I was stupid, wasn't it? I am stupid. So this is what you all really felt towards me, huh?" Just a problem, a bad omen, a tool. I was nothing more, not even after everything I've done for all of you. To be honest, I'm disappointed with myself. I could see through Haruno like a glass, but you all wore even better masks than she did."

"H-Hikigaya-kun, wait…"

"Why should I? Why the hell should I? When you asked me to 'save' you, was that a lie? Was every compliment, apology, request every single damn word you said to me a damn lie!?"

I raised my voice, literally roaring at them. Anyone nearby could hear me right now, but I didn't care. I needed to say what was on my mind, to voice out my feelings.

"None of you ever cared about me, did you?! I was nothing to you, wasn't I?! Now I see, my 'genuine' thing can't be here. Not in this room. Not with any of you."

They were all cowering, probably in fear. They has tears in their eyes, but who cared? Me? No.

"I'm leaving the Service club. Goodbye."

In two sentences, I walked away, ignoring the pleas and begging of three voices behind me.

The time was 3:57 pm.

The moment where my life drastically changed.

* * *

So that's it. Chapter 3 is finished. Did any of you expect that to happen? You probably dad (Insert sad, melodramatic music). It's longer than my other two chapters so far. What do you guys think of it? Good or bad?

I'll (hopefully) put up chapter 4 before Tuesday. Hopefully. Not 100% confirmed.

Bye!


	4. Chapter 4: New and Old

**Chapter 4 - New and Old**

After approximately 11 hours after I put up chapter 3, I read the reviews you guys sent. Most of you didn't like the last chapter because it was too cliché or boring.

Some of you commented on the characters being too OOC, or how you wanted a change in the plot. One of you even asked if I was a middle schooler. Surprise surprise, I am.

I know not all of you will like and enjoy this story since I'm not a good writer. However, I'm still going to upload chapters and I intend to finish this story unless anything unfortunate happens.

I'm sorry since I also forgot to put Hikigaya's POV, cause I'll add different POVs of different characters

* * *

Ichiro Megumi POV

When I heard those words, I curled my hands into fists and dug my nails into my palms. After seeing Hachi walk away from his three _former_ friends, I felt unprecedented rage building up within me.

 _They_ didn't deserve to be his friend. _They_ behind his back, using his trust in them against them. _They_ never cared about him, only seeing him as a temporary tool to throw away once it rusted and lost its usefulness.

The orange-haired girl stood up, her face streaming with tears. She ran to the door, only for me to block her. She looked at me, anger evident in her eyes. "Move!"

I didn't budge. "Why would I do that anyway?"

"I need to go! Move!"

I narrowed my eyes. "Or what?", I hissed. Trying to find Hachi, huh? "What're you trying to do?"

"It's none of your business!"

"Everything that has to do with _him_ is my business.", I answered evenly. This got her to flare up in anger.

"Who are you to Senpai?! I bet you're just another-"

"Another what?! Another _what_?!"

To say she was shocked was an understatement. She quivered a bit, then stood her ground and looked me in the eye. Quite resilient, eh?

"I need to go somewhere! Move!". With those words, she lunged forward, attempting to move past me. I spread my arms, indicating that I had no intention of letting her through.

What transpired in the next few seconds was a shouting match. Her aim to visit Hachi was thwarted by me and every second she spent blocked by me was time wasted.

The pink-haired girl haired girl was sobbing continuously on the chair. For some reason, their reactions completely contrasted with their statements earlier. I mean, why would you insult someone behind their back only to become depressed after they find out?

The only person who reaction wasn't as intense was the third and last girl. Sitting with her back facing the window, her face was cast down on the book as though the commotion didn't bother her. However, she didn't seem as though she was reading at all.

I knew who she was. Yukinoshita Yukino. Daughter of the Chiba Diet Member Yukinoshita Nobunaga. I've seen her appear at several parties and celebrations, though she looked like she would want to be anywhere but there. She and her sister were often among the main attractions, attracting many suitors to them in an attempt to woo them. While Yukinoshita Haruno seemed to enjoy the spotlight, she would trail behind her quietly.

The chance that she would remember or even know me were low. Then again, it doesn't mean that it's impossible.

Tired of dealing with the troublesome girl in front of me, I wanted to end this quickly so I could find Hachi.

"Why are you all so depressed? If you asked me, I'd say that all of you should be celebrating now that he's not returning."

This got the pink-haired girl and Yukinoshita-san to look up, as well as the orange-haired girl. They were all bristling with anger, but inside their eyes, I could see that they were hurt and… heartbroken?

It didn't make any sense, unless… unless they….

"Why you-!"

"Leave her be, Isshiki. There's no point fighting with her."

The orange-haired, who I presumed to be Isshiki, glanced back at Yukinoshita-san. "But she-"

"She's just trying to provoke you. Now, for you. May I ask that you kindly leave?"

Despite her words, there was no sense of kindness underlying them. Rather than a request, it was more similar to an order or a warning. Although I wanted to stay, I decided to leave. I would have to do so eventually, so why not now. As I turned to walk away, I threw one last insult at them.

"I'm sure he'll be much happier without you."

Saying that did make me feel elated. I guess that's what it means by having the last word.

* * *

As I walked around the school, I wondered where I would find Hachi. I've been with him long enough, so I should know where he would immediately go.

Places filled with people or noise would be out. Somewhere quiet, where he could think and enjoy the silence. The library was crossed out since it should be closed at this hour. Outside? There's always the chance someone might find him. So where?

That left only one answer in my mind. The roof. It's quiet, with no one to bother and listen to him except the wind. He also used to eat on the roof back in middle school. Having found my answer, I rushed up to the roof, climbing the stairs and skipping steps

I opened the roof door and saw Hachi leaning on the railing. "Hac-!" I stopped mid-sentence.

There was another girl up there. Her silver hair was just a bit shorter than mine, though it was tied up in a ponytail whereas mine wasn't. She engaged with Hachi in small talk, but I couldn't hear what she said. I was immediately wary of her. Was she like one of those girls back downstairs?

"Hachi.", I called out softly. Both of them turned around upon hearing my voice. The girl's purple eyes narrowed and she looked at me as if she was trying to see through me. Hachi, on the other hand, didn't look a bit sad at all. In fact, his eyes held some sort of look as though he knew what was going to happen.

"Who are you?"

The question came from the silver-haired girl.

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

I responded to her question in kind. Judging from her hostility towards me in our first meeting, she probably thought I was the same as those three girls. Planning to use Hachi as a tool, not a person.

Likewise, I also thought the same way. I didn't know what her relationship with Hachi was nor did I know her feelings. The tension between us was growing, with both of us thinking the same thing, yet not knowing what the other person thought as well.

Luckily, Hachi defused the situation with a wave of his hand. "Kawasaki, this is Megumi. Megumi, this is Kawasaki. Don't both of you know each other?"

I was confused. This the first time we met. Unless she and I had met up before. "No? My answer was more of a question than a statement.

Hachi sighed. "Kawasaki, this is Megumi. Ichiro Megumi. You know, the girl who transferred to our class today."

The girl, Kawasaki, lowered her hands, dropping her suspicious glare. "Oh, her."

Yes, her. That's me. Kawasaki turned around and glared at Hachi, who flinched a bit at the intensity. "W-why are y-you on a first-name basis with her?"

"U-uh, well, she-"

Before he could finish his sentence, I dashed forward and grabbed his arm. Pressing myself against him, I smiled and finished it for him. "We're dating each other!"

"W-what?" Kawasaki blushed bright red. Whatever she was expecting, she wasn't expecting that. I smirked. Perfect. Now that she's convinced that Hachi's mine, I think I should-.

"Kawasaki, don't worry. We're not even dating. I mean, how do you expect me to even get a girlfriend?" Hachi's words were enough to reassure her, although she still looked worried.

To be honest, I felt a little disappointed on the last part of his sentence. He really didn't remember me. He even forgot what I told him that day. When he sacrificed our relationship for my social status. He didn't remember my feelings for him and so I was forced to watch him from afar before I travelled overseas.

"Megumi?"

But now that I was back, I could be with him. I was given the chance to do what I couldn't do before we were separated. Just thinking about it made my heart beat faster.

"Megumi?"

Someone shook me out of my thoughts. It took me a while to register that it was Hachi. He and Kawasaki had concerned expressions on their faces. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." I didn't want them to worry about me. "What happened?"

Hachi frowned. "You spaced out for a minute. We thought you were having some kind of seizure or something."

"Aww, worried about your girlfriend? So cute!", I exclaimed, hugging him even tighter. You've got to take advantage of every opportunity you can.

His face reddened like he was trying to turn into a tomato. Even now, he didn't have much resistance when it came to girls.

"S-so, Ichiro-san. What's your relationship with Hachi?"

Kawasaki's question interrupted _our private_ session together. I was about to open my mouth to give her a lengthy introduction on mine and Hachi's relationship when he clamped a hand over my mouth. Obviously being stronger than me, I couldn't detach it and so I settled for going "mmmf, mmmmfff!". Naturally, being such a futile attempt, he ignored me.

"We're just acquaintances." No, we aren't!

"Do acquaintances act like that with each other?", asked Kawasaki, completely confused.

"Nope." Hachi increased the pressure of his hand to lower my chances of breaking free. At this moment, I had an idea. Opening my mouth slightly, I licked his palm. "Gaaahhh!"

He pulled his hand away and quickly wiped it on his pants. Turning to Kawasaki, I answer her question. "We're actually classmates in middle school. I was Hachi's friend."

Kawasaki looked astonished. Meanwhile, Hachi, his face showing signs of slight embarrassment, looked around. "Who's Hachi?", he asked, seeing only me and Kawasaki on the roof on with him.

I frowned. Seriously? Was he really that dense? I looked at Kawasaki, but she was as perplexed as he was. Sighing, I explained that 'Hachi' was Hikigaya. Hachi tilted his head pondering my answer until his eyes shone with realization. "Oh, so it was me." Can't you have a more profound expression?

A cough made both of us stare at Kawasaki, whose face was red with embarrassment. "Umm, Hikigaya", she asked tenderly.

"Yeah?"

"...Could you call me by my first name?" I raised an eyebrow. Did they not call each other by their first names? "You call Ichiro-san by her first name…"

"Uh, um, are you sure?" Yes, she is. I'm pretty sure she was pouring all her resolve and determination into this request.

"Yeah… Hachiman." Hachi blushed upon hearing his own name, then coughed into his hand and returned back to normal.

He lifted his eyes and looked at her in the eye. "Okay, Saki."

Hearing her own name, Kawasaki smiled slightly. Feeling left out, I interrupted their whole time together. "You can't steal Hachi, he's mine!"

I moved in front of Hachi while saying these words. Kawasaki instantly sputtered out a response. "I-I don't h-have any f-feelings for him! None at all!", she stuttered, waving her hands in front of her like she was casting a magical barrier.

Hachi stayed silent, apparently not even damaged and affected by that. "Oh."

I expected him to at least have a response to that statement, maybe look downcast or even depressed. Instead, he looked like he expected such an answer. Kawasaki's face was also disappointed, but also contained a slight hint of jealousy. Why would she be jealous? I followed her gaze and it landed Hachi's right arm.

Or, more importantly, how my arms were currently wrapped around it. She was jealous because of our close contact with each other. I didn't understand why. Unless…

...she liked Hachi.

My mind clicked as pieces of memory connected together. It explained why she wanted Hachi to call her by her first name, why she was disappointed he didn't show any response, why she was jealous of me. Her embarrassment and shyness.

So now there was another girl in love with the guy I liked. Great.

Hachi spoke up, causing both of us to stare at him. "I'm quitting the Service Club."

Neither Kawasaki nor I showed any signs of surprise. I half expected such an action to occur already after what _they_ did back there. I'd be more surprised if he decided to stay. He didn't deserve it.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The silence was killing all of us. No one knew what to say next after that declaration. 'Congratulations'? 'My condolences'? 'I'm so sorry'?

It was only then that I noticed how dark the sky was. It was probably around 5-6 pm right now. The other two noticed it also. Was it really that long since we were up here? Talking with each other?

"I should go home now. Taishi and Keika are waiting for me.", Kawasaki said. My phone vibrated and I opened it, seeing a text from my dad to go home. "Me too."

Hachi nodded. "Guess I'll go home as well." With that, the three of us made our way to the staircase. We walked down the stairs and passed the vending machine, weaving our way through the corridors towards the school gate. We didn't encounter anybody else.

At the school gate, I saw a limousine parked outside. Even though my house was quite near to school, dad insisted on showing off his wealth. Sighing at his antics, I turned around to face Hachi and Kawasaki.

"Bye, Hachi, Kawasaki." Saying their names so casually was somewhat queer, since this was only our first meeting. I slowly trudged through the snow to the limousine until an idea popped into my head.

Turning around, I ran towards Hachi and lunged at him, wrapping my arms around his neck. The next moment, I kissed his cheek.

Almost instantaneously, he blushed and sputtered. "Wha-ugh, huh wha-?" His attempt at formulating words only to repeat the same incomplete, gibberish made me giggle. Standing up, I stole a glance at Kawasaki. Her face was red with anger that would unleash if I didn't get out of here.

Waving my hand, I picked up my bag and ran to the limousine, getting in and closing the door. As the limousine pulled away, I saw Kawasaki helping Hachi off the ground, who was still surprised by what just happened.

Picking up my phone, I turned it on, only to see one new message from dad. I went to my chat and scrolled all the way to the bottom.

'How was your first day of school?'

Dad, despite his heavy workload and busy schedule, always found time to talk to me. He let me have my own freedom and, at the same time, made sure I grew up disciplined and proper. Although, he doted on so much since I was his only daughter. My older brother was studying in America overseas for college, so he only visited during the holidays, resulting in me being the only child at home.

I never understood dad. He would display a strong sense of resilience and confidence on TV,, but it was different back at home One time, back when I was in elementary school, I caught him drawing circles on the floor in the closet because I didn't like the apple pie he baked. As one would call it, 'the good ol' days.

Knowing what to say, I started to tap my fingers on the keypad and hit 'send'.

After sending my message, I laid back in my seat and started to drift off…

"Miss Ichiro, we're here.", the driver said, getting out of the car and opening the door.

The ride was that short? I was just about to fall asleep too!

* * *

Hikigaya Hachiman POV

Watching the limousine drive away, I couldn't help but recall today's events. Yuigahama's, Yukinoshita's and Isshiki's feelings. Me, Kawasaki's and Megumi's time on the rooftop. Me quitting the Service Club.

"I guess we should go home as well.", I said, facing Kawasaki.

Noticing how dark it was getting, she agreed with me. "Yeah, sure."

Being the kind gentleman I was, I offered to walk Kawasaki home. She smiled and shook her head. "No thanks."

If she had been Yukinoshita, she would have insulted me and rejected my offer.

With a quick 'ok', I was about to turn and head my way when I remembered something. I turned back to face Kawasaki, whose back was facing me as she walked the other way.

"Saki!", I called out.

She looked back, seeing me looking at her. "What do you want?", she answered my calling. Woah, that sounds like a line you'd find in some fantasy or action book. Get back on task, Hachiman!

As I my head battled on whether to ask her, Kawasaki grew slightly impatient. "Yeah?", she asked, her annoyed tone almost non-existent, but still there.

Finally, the side of my head labelled 'will-ask-question' won against side 'will-not-ask-question'. "Kawasaki…"

"Can we be-?"

"Aren't we already?"

Huh? Kawasaki had a bemused expression on her face. "Aren't we already friends?"

I stood there, astonished at the declaration. Slowly, the ends of my mouth curved ever so slightly.

"Yeah, we are."

* * *

The end of chapter 4. Hachiman, Megumi and Kawasaki may have been very OOC this chapter, but I mean, look at the last chapter. By the way, what did you guys think about Megumi's POV? And how about the quality and rating of this chapter?

This is unrelated to the previous paragraph, but some people don't really like this story and how its progressing. I believe two of you, or one, told me that you wouldn't read this story anymore because of how bad it is. Go ahead, no one's stopping you.

If you don't want to read, then don't. If you do, then do it. I can't force any of you to like this story, so if you read, then you'll have to put up with how and what I write. I've also got ideas on what this story will contain and how it will progress.

That's all I wanted to say. Thanks for reading this chapter, and I'll see you in the next. Hopefully, I don't take too long.


	5. Chapter 5: Avoidance

**Chapter 5 - Avoidance**

Thanks for the support everyone! Not all of you really enjoy this story and one of the most frequent comments I get is the cliche storyline. I already have ideas on what's going to occur in this story, as well as how it may end and answering some of the few questions you may have. If there is any….

A random question, but have any of you watched the greatest showman? I haven't, but I heard the soundtrack and it's really good. I'm hoping I can watch the movie soon

Anyways, next chapter. Read and review as much as you want.

* * *

Hikigaya Hachiman POV

"Bye, Onii-chan!"

Komachi waved her hands to as I rushed out of the door. Once again, I was late to class and I did not want to suffer Sensei's iron fists of wrath. Is there some kind of curse placed upon me where I'm doomed to wake up late over and over again, day after day? If so, who would place such a terrible curse?

The winter was still going as strong as ever. Snowflakes all fell down from the sky, shaped in many different ways, each one just a little bit different than the rest. Falling down gently, they spun around, disappearing when they touched the snow-covered ground.

Seeing this, I recalled my loner days all the way throughout my school and childhood life. Humans were vastly different from these ice crystals. Judged my whole life by both society and myself, I was forced to become a loner, becoming ostracized and excluded. Progressing through my life was a very different experience than how a riajuu, or at least a normal person, would experience. From day one, I was decreed to live life with only my sister and family by my side.

Entering high school was a change in my life. It was there where I met Hiratsuka-sensei in all her ramen-loving and unmarried glory. It was where I met bubbly, energetic Yuigahama and cold, unfriendly Yukinoshita. It was there where I joined the Service Club.

Funny how everything I thought I knew changed so much in a single moment. I've met someone whom I apparently knew, made new friends, quit the Service Club and lost my…

What do I even call Yukinoshita and Yuigahama? Friends? Acquaintances? Clubmates? My conversations with them were mostly kept short, with a few added insults mixed into the sentences. I was never close to them, to begin with, and it's obvious they were never close to me either.

Reaching school, I parked my bike outside and went inside, wondering how I would be able to face them today. Knowing Yuigahama, she would try to approach me and explain her actions yesterday. Not that I cared that much anyways. In the end, the relationship we had was fake.

As always, stealth Hikki worked perfectly whenever I entered a crowded place. No-one took a glance at me as I stealthily made my way to my seat. Good. I sat down, laid my head on the table, plugged in my earphones and quietly observed my surroundings. Not many people had arrived in class yet, so it was relatively quiet enough for me to relax. Hayama's clique also hadn't arrived yet with the exception of the man himself. Scanning the entire classroom, his eyes settled down on me.

His eyes looked calm at first sight, but I could detect a hint of anger in them. I had no recollection of doing anything these past few days that may have jeopardized his status or his clique in anyway. Come to think of it, the only person I've actually talked to recently was Yuigahama, but now that I've broken off ties with her, there shouldn't be any reason for any hostility.

Precisely at that moment, I recognized a blue-haired girl skip happily into class. Are you in some kind of fantasy? Who skips into class nowadays? Actually, who even skips at all? Sometimes, I really fear for the next generation.

I turned my head the other way so that it faced the wall and tried my best to look like I was sleeping so as to avoid the explosive bomb at the front of the class. Activating stealth Hikki to the max hopefully made me tremendously inconspicuous. How could I be called a prime loner if I couldn't even fulfil the most simple conditions?!

Then again, I have friends, so I guess I invalidated it anyways.

If my sense of time was correct, it was about 7 minutes until 8, which was when homeroom starts. You see, throughout my time pretending to sleep every morning has helped to me link certain, regular sounds with the time, thus allowing me to tell the time without looking at a clock or my phone.

For example, I could hear the footsteps made my Tobe's walk to the classroom, where he comes at 7:55 am. At 7:57, Ebina's nosebleed and graceful (read: graceless) fall to the floor should occur, with Yumiko's swift action in pulling out a handkerchief and covering her nose. At 7:59, I should be able to Yuigahama's sprint to the classroom as a result of almost coming late for class. With these sounds happening every day like a cycle of some sorts, I can identify each one and be able to tell the time.

Why does the above make it sound like I'm some creepy stalker of some sort? I swear, I don't have any ulterior motive for any of this, none at all! I just pay very close attention.

That last sentence just contradicted me, didn't it?

Hiratsuka-sensei walked into the classroom and with that scary, Halloween-like aura of her's made us all go back to our seats. Strange, I didn't hear Yuigahama enter the classroom. Is she sick or something?

As I watched Sensei repeat the same procedure of role-calling and taking attendance, I felt a finger poke my back, Even though I had a sneaking suspicion of who it was since there was only one person in the entire class who would do that, I stayed silent.

Poke, poke, poke poke poke poke poke. The poking got considerably more frequent and harder, to the point where it felt like she was trying to stab me. I'm still a human being!

Turning around, I saw none other than Megumi sitting behind me, her hand bent towards me with her index finger facing me. She moved her hand forward poking me on the cheek. Naturally, I didn't give any sort of reaction, except for how my brain was processing how so- STOP. HOW MANY TIMES MUST YOU TAKE THIS TRAIN OF THOUGHT?

"Hachi, why'd you ignore me so blatantly?", she sadly asked. I still can't get over that nickname. It sounds like something you'd call a cat or dog. Have I really been downgraded so much to their level?

"It's homeroom right now." I gave her a random excuse just to stop her from annoying me. I didn't care about homeroom, but couldn't she do that to someone else?

She pouted. "Fine, I'll tell you later.", she said leaning back in her seat and moving her head down. I couldn't see what expression she had on her face since her hair and shadows were covering it. Weren't those things suppose to only happen in anime and manga? If they meant anything, it was probably my inevitable doom. I'm sorry, okay.

Unfortunately, Hiratsuka-sensei saw me and got another brilliant idea. "Hikigaya", she shouted to me, a smirk forming on her face, "Would you please stop staring at Ichiro so lovingly?"

Laughter chorused throughout the classroom as I glared at her. Hopefully, she was able to receive the message I conveyed with my eyes. 'Sensei, isn't it rude to comment on the topic of love on other people when you yourself don't even have a boyfriend and can't even get a date?'

Unfortunately for me, using her amazing powers as a teacher, she somehow deciphered the whole message and cracked her knuckles threateningly.

Aren't you supposed to be a teacher?! What's with the violence towards me and your mind-reading skills? What, or who, exactly are you?

As sensei continued down the list of names, she encountered a problem.

"Yuigahama."

No response.

"Yuigahama?"

Silence.

"Yuigahama!"

A tumbleweed rolled by.

That's odd. Yuigahama doesn't become absent without a reason. If she did, she would have told one of her clique members such as Yumiko or Ebina. However, they looked as confused as the rest of the class. It seems like Yuigahama was skipping school today.

The door unexpectedly slid open with a 'bang'! Speak of the devil and he shall come. In this case, it was a she. This person wasn't a devil either. Yuigahama Yui entered the classroom with her bag slung over her shoulder. Despite the time, I noticed that her breath wasn't ragged and her face wasn't red from running. In fact, it looked as though she had walked all the way to school.

Yuigahama bowed to Sensei. "Ah, sorry Sensei! I had a bit of trouble coming to school." Well, it had been snowing quite heavily these past few days so people are bound to come late. What a great excuse I could give to Sensei! But knowing her, she'll just unleash her unrestrained wrath on me until she deems that I'm telling the truth.

As Yuigahama walked to her seat, I noticed her giving a quick glance in my direction. It disappeared just as fast as it had appeared, but it was still a split-second glance. Was she glancing at me? Someone else, perhaps?

Whoever it was, during that glance, I saw that her eyes were red. Was she crying? Or did she have conjunctivitis? If the latter, I suggest you go to the infirmary and get that she checked. For all you know, it could become the start of an outbreak at school that will force all of us to become quarantined and become zombies that will quickly spread an infestation and decimate the world.

Again with the Chuuni delusions. Popping up randomly out of nowhere.

Class ended peacefully without any incidents, except for my back being poked occasionally by you-know-who. How does the teacher not catch Megumi in the act, but gives me a scolding about my eyes when I looked straight at him. I know my eyes are as dead as a fish's but it still stings whenever they come up.

As the lunch bell rang, I got up, only to be stopped when a hand placed itself on my shoulder. Kawasaki Saki was standing there, her face bright pink and facing the floor.

"H-Hachi?". What's with the overly cute eyes? I didn't know you were capable of such an expression!

I raised my eyebrow in response. "Yeah?"

"Would you like to eat lunch with me?" That certainly caught me off guard. I didn't expect her, of all people, to say such a thing. Then again, I don't expect anybody at all, except for Komachi. Little sisters truly are t-!

"So is that a yes or no?", she asked timidly and shyly.

I didn't see any reason to refuse her. After all, we were friends, I guess. "Su-"

Suddenly, I was tackled and hit the whiteboard, knocking my head against it pretty hard. As I struggled to remove the weight from me as well as try to withstand the sudden pain, an accusing finger was pointed towards Saki, who was shocked.

Megumi had her right arm linked with my left and was laying on me, preventing me from getting up. "What's this?", she shouted, "A plan to abandon me while you two go off into your open happy la-la land?!"

"No, wa-"

"Trying to steal Hachi away from me?!"

"I wa-"

"You even admit to your crime!"

As Kawasaki desperately pleased her innocence while Megumi interrupted her every 2nd word, I was still on the floor, dazed by the events that had occurred and were occurring. The one thing I did manage to find out was that we were the main spectacle of everyone's attention.

"Hey, isn't that Ichiro-san and Kawasaki-san?"

"What are they doing?"

"Who's that underneath Megumi-san?"

"A virus, perhaps?"

"No way, are they fighting over him?"

"NOOO! ICHIRO-SAMAAA!"

What's with the last reaction? Are you all part of some secret fan club or something dedicated to a single person like the ones you see in anime? Why am I also associated with viruses? First, it was Hikigermia, now what will it be? Hikebola?

As chaos erupted inside the classroom, I could only lie down and watch it unfold before my very eyes. Was it really only yesterday we all met?

* * *

Thankfully, the commotion ended quickly when I quickly grabbed their hands and ran. Weaving through the corridors and halls that made up the school, I turned, twisted and ran, all the while making sure that I didn't lose my grip on the two girls behind me.

However, I somehow must have chosen one of the most people-filled paths today. Another thing I hate about crowds. They'll talk about the most interesting thing to them, which was a creepy weirdo who looked like he was dragging two beauties behind them forcefully. At least none of them tried to stop us.

Finally, I reached the rooftop, panting and tired from all the running. I haven't run like that in such a long time so I was completely drained out of all my energy.

"You, guys, okay?", I asked, huffing. I looked back, only to see both of them completely red in the face. Well, it's normal to be exhausted after running, but I _did_ force them to run quite a lot. Not to mention that we ran all the way to the roof.

"Hah, hah, Hachi…"

"Hachiman…"

Nope. Definitely not okay. These girls were most likely formulating 101 ways to kill me in 101 different scenarios. Why am I always at the mercy of such Hikigaya-bloodthirsty girls? I need to diffuse the situation fast.

Quickly, I bowed my head and said, "I'm sorry, please forgive me dragging you two here!"

For the second time in three days, I really hoped I wouldn't be murdered. I waited for my inevitable doom to begin, as well as torturous pain as a consequence of my actions. Surprisingly, I didn't feel anything.

I looked up, only to see their faces even redder and them looking everywhere except me.

"It's o-okay H-Hachi.", Megumi sputtered out. Saki soon followed up with a 'Yeah, yeah.' At least they weren't going to kill me.

"Well, then let's eat lunch!", Megumi exclaimed, clapping her hands together. What's with the sudden change in attitude?

Humming to herself, she plopped herself down and took out a bento box out of nowhere. Huh? Where did she even get that? She patted the spot next to her. "Hachi, sit down."

"No thanks, I need to b-"

" _That wasn't a question._ "

Ok sure, I was just getting ready.

Gulping I sat down, leaving Saki who was still standing up. As soon as I sat, Megumi opened her bento box, picked up some teriyaki with her chopsticks and moved them towards my mouth. "Hachi, open your mouth."

I couldn't believe. Was a girl feeding me? It must have been laced with poison or drugs. Waving my hand, I told her, "It's fine. I'll quickly go down to the cafeteria to buy some yakisoba bread."

"Neh, Hachi, does that mean you don't want to eat my food?"

"Well, I would be lying if I said it didn't look good…"

"So there's no problem if you eat my food?"

"Uhh…"

No! Snap out of it, Hachiman! Your years of reading up and observation show that this is just a trap asked by girls to their male companions. An innocent question is asked, followed by more innocent questions to lure people into doing their bidding, which is, in this case, eating the chicken. But a thin layer of disguised sweetness to cover a deadly trap is no match for our rotten eyes that see through every single lie in society!

But what if-

I'm the logical part of you, remember? It's my job to make sure-

Both trains of thought were suddenly assaulted by a peculiar taste sending signals to my brain. In fact, it was the piece of chicken teriyaki Megumi was holding.

Surprised by the spontaneous assault, I almost choked on the piece of meat, forgetting to swallow it and instead gulping it down whole. "Did you like it, Hachi?"

Megumi smiled gently and happily, as I gave her a 'what the heck were you thinking' look.

I then sensed another presence next to me. I turned and saw Saki sitting next to me, pulling out something out of her bag. The moment I saw that it was another bento box, I knew exactly what would happen.

"H-Hachiman, w-would you t-try this?", Saki asked timidly. Sure, why not? I opened my mouth to receive the holy food that was cooked by Saki.

The next moment, a pair of arms wrapped around my neck and pulled me back away from the piece of tempura Saki was holding. What?

My vision changed rapidly and now I was looking at Megumi looking down at me. Hold on, since when did I become so small? Or did she become very tall? Hey, that rhymed.

Using my five senses, I quickly processed my surroundings. Weird, there was something soft under my head. Almost the skin of a girl. Wait a minute, it is the skin of a girl.

At that moment, I discovered that my head was currently laying down on Megumi's lap. Meanwhile, Saki was stuttering like crazy to Megumi, who was grinning with a triumphant smile.

"H-hey Megumi…"

"I won't let you have Hachi! He's mine!"

"He's not even yours in the first place!"

"He'll eat my food only, and mine alone."

"T-that's unfair-!"

Listening to the two girls fight above me was strangely refreshing. Not to mention the warmth of her skin was making me feel drowsy. Staying up late last night to finish my homework probably contributed to my drowsiness. As I closed my eyes, I couldn't help but wonder…

...Is this what friends do?

If so, then maybe it's not so bad having some. In fact, it's feels nice. I could get used to this.

All of a sudden, a pair of chopsticks forced something down my throat. This time, I had no choice but to try swallowing it. Keyword: try. Gagging and choking, I looked up at the perpetrator, who was looking down at me with lavender eyes with her silver hair falling on my chest.

I tried to breathe, only to inhale in nothing. I think I really am choking… tell Komachi I love her and to not get involved with that insect.

"H-Hachiman!"

"Hachi?"

Before my vision fell black, I thought of one last thing

Friendship does have its ups and downs.

* * *

Listening to Hiratsuka-sensei lecture about a book we were using for modern Japanese literature was hard. I couldn't concentrate well and more than once I almost found myself falling asleep. To another person, it was a comical sight, watching a bacteria closing his eyes and moving his head down, only to jerk it up a few seconds later before repeating the two-step cycle again and again. Wait, did I just admit that I was prokaryote?

My back was also aching, to the point where I wouldn't be surprised if it was completely red. From behind me and across the classroom, I could feel the occasional guilty glances of two people, who were the root cause of the problem. Let me explain.

After my choking episode, Megumi and Saki were at a loss on what to do. They couldn't take me to the infirmary fast enough and they had no medical knowledge of how to help a choking victim. Therefore, for some strange reason, they made me lie on the roof with my stomach on the floor. Then, they took turns _softly_ stomping me on the back to get the piece of food out of my throat.

At least, that's what they told me. Why do none of you have any knowledge on saving a choking person? Especially you Saki. Will you lay the insect on the floor and continuously stomp on its back? Actually, I'm completely fine with that. Go ahead.

Every 20 minute, the bell would ring, which would signify that 20 minutes had passed. Yes, two times for the emphasis.

"Hikigaya!", Sensei yelled from the front of the class, "Meet me after school in my office."

Whispers of 'oohhh, he's gonna get it' to 'who's that' floated around the classroom. At least actually whisper and don't be a Tobe who shouts it out. With a tired 'ok', I went back to my endless cycle of trying to stay awake. This time, I fell asleep into a long, dark slumber.

Why do I feel like someone wants to put in the word 'eternal'?

The last bell rang, signifying the end of the day. I walked out of the classroom and turned the corner, leaning my back against the wall. I stood there, listening to the sounds of footsteps and chatter coming to life as people talked about today's events. I heard Megumi's name pop up a few times, along with 'the white-haired girl' and 'the dead fish-eyes creep'. Heh, at least I'm being acknowledged.

Come to think of it, why am I here? Oh yeah, I'm waiting for someone. But who? Nobody really asked me to meet them, so why am I here?

A pair of footsteps was walking my way? Again, why am I here? Am I waiting for whoever's walking? Guess I'll just have to see.

Short, pink-hair comes into my field of vision, tied up into a bun. With a bag hanging from her shoulder and her quiet footsteps, she gave me a melancholic feeling. She then looked at me and I realized why I was here.

This is where I waited for Yuigahama Yui every day. To go to the Service Club. Meet Yukinoshita. See Isshiki. Banter, insult, read, quiet, silence. Work, talk, think, drink. Did I come here because of my instinct? An impulse?

"H-Hikki…", Yuigahama said, like she's scared of me. Without a word, I turned around and headed in the opposite direction towards Sensei's office.

"Hikki!" Yuigahama ran up to me, her eyes threatening to spill a waterfall of tears if I didn't stop moving. "Hikki!". She grabbed my sleeve and pulled me back, but being the stronger one between us, I didn't fall.

"Let me explain!"

"..."

I didn't speak, not a single word. I was disgusted with myself. For doing the same thing I did after school every day, forgetting what had happened. What had transpired. Slowly, with my other hand, I removed Yuigahama's hand off my sleeve. "H-Hikki…"

She sounded hurt. Broken. So I walked away. Away from her. But not before saying one last thing.

"It's Hikigaya-kun, Yuigahama-san."

* * *

Hiratsuka Shizuka POV

Sitting in my office, I was grading and reading the essays of my students. Marking them was a normal day of work for me. As I read and graded each essay, I finally got to a specific essay. Namely, one made by a certain student of mine.

The topic I gave my students was 'Changing yesterday'. Just those two words. Nothing else. I gave it since it gave my students a lot of freedom to write about the topic instead of limiting it to a certain way in which they have to write it. That's what literature's about.

Back to topic. Said student wrote about regret. She said that if wishes and dreams came true, then the one she would wish came to reality was that she could change yesterday. She said she did something she didn't like, said something she didn't mean. She wanted to change yesterday so that she could always look forward to tomorrow again.

As I read the essay, the door to my office opened and I looked up, seeing HIkigaya. He sat down and stared at me with those dead-fish eyes. The eyes that people hated but hid all the good traits you'd only find in characters in storybooks.

"Sensei, why'd you call me here?". Going straight to the point like always. "Is it because I slept in your class again?"

I shook my head. "Nope. I need to talk to you about something important." The moment I mentioned the word 'important', his eyes flashed with a hint of recognition. It seems as though he knows what I'm talking about.

"There's a reason I quit, you know. I'm also not required to stay inside the club." I sighed. Normally, I would have punched him by now, but it wouldn't help to fix the situation. "If you need to know why, ask Megumi or Saki."

I raised my eyebrow. Who were Megumi and Saki? "Who are you referring to?" Almost immediately, his expression changed.

"Sorry, I meant Ichiro-san and Kawasaki-san." I became even more curious. Kawasaki didn't seem like the type to interact with other people and Ichiro only came yesterday. Such a short time and already he calls them by their first name. "Why do you call them on a first-name basis?"

"Um, well… I guess it's because we're friends?"

Friends. He said that word in such an unsure tone. I guess it's because it's logical to assume he doesn't and wouldn't have friends, yet here he was, friends with two girls whom he conversed with yesterday. Nevertheless, I didn't press on the matter. I care about my students after all.

"Why don't you tell me why you quit yourself?"

"Where did you hear that I quit? I never told you a single thing."

"I came by yesterday to check up on you, Yuigahama and Yukinoshita. What I found was them crying their hearts out along with the student council president."

Hikigaya stayed silent. I observed him carefully, his actions and his words. "Oh."

For a lack of a better word to respond to my question, he responded blandly to my question. That 'oh' sounded like one elicited from a person who was told that a random stranger on the other side of the world had died. I sighed again.

"Hikigaya, why did you quit?" I didn't want to hear the story from someone else's lips. No, wanted to hear it from the man himself. Ever since I forced him to enter the club, I could see how much he had changed. It wasn't instantaneously, but slowly and surely. His interactions with other people and how he acted were very different if you compared the one from then with the one from now.

Still, he remained stubborn. With those eyes and expression of his that he had on his face right now, it was hard to tell what he was thinking. Probably something along the lines of 'Sensei, get a boyfriend. Better yet, get married."

I clenched my fists underneath the table. The nerve of this kid.

Letting a long sigh, I looked at Hikigaya. "Ok, you can go."

He blinked. "What?"

"I'm not going to get any information out of you, so I'll just ask Kawasaki and Ichiro tomorrow."

"Oh ok. Bye." With that farewell, he got up from his seat and started walking towards the door. This kid… even playing the guilt card won't work? He's too dense too even notice it!

And so, because he was facing the door, he never saw my fist coming towards him.

* * *

What do you guys think? It's been four days since chapter 3 has been uploaded. Did you guys like Hiratsuka' POV at the end? And for those of you who don't know, tempura and chicken teriyaki are Japanese food.

Did you guys enjoy the rooftop scene? Not the best scene I've written so far, but still, I enjoyed the interaction between the three of them up there. They may have become quite OOC in this chapter, but it's the result of having friends. Even Hikigaya Hachiman can change, you know.

Any suggestions for any POVs of certain characters? Or any ideas at all? Leave a review! Though I think most of the ones I'll get are ones telling me to improve my writing. Thanks for those, since it tells me what you don't like and like in this story.

Now, my first comment back to you guys! You know, the one where I personally respond to the most recent reviews I've gotten… that one. I'll do about 7 of them every chapter so that you guys don't get bored. So here they are:

Jjjk: Thanks mate! Can't wait to write it as well.

Anonmata: I haven't even decided on the main pairing yet, if there even is one. I still don't understand what you mean by 'waiting for the other shoe to drop'. Sorry, pardon my English. Anyways, thanks!

Guest: Well I guess you'll have to wait. It is hard to pick between Saki and Megumi, but only time will tell.

Onlyingame: Have you read the earlier comments? Especially the ones that came up when I posted chapter 3.

OsteoPoro: Woah, was this story too addictive? Hahaha, I guess my writing style is better than I expected. Thanks taking time off class to read this!

MislavMagium: Thank you so much for that comment. It got me really down when people reviewed this hard, but your comment reminded me that this was fanfiction. That I could write what I want to my heart's content.

RalphZiggy: Thanks for the idea. Also, sorry about Kawasaki not being too serious here, more like being a shy girl.

A quick question, am I making Megumi too much like Haruno? I don't really want that, so please give me your opinion.


	6. Chapter 6: Apologies and Endings

**Chapter 6 - Apologies and Endings**

First off, I want to apologize for how slow the story is going. I'm struggling with school at the moment as well with homework, so sorry. But glad to see you guys liked the last chapter.

I'm going to introduce Yukino and Yuigahama in this chapter so that Hikigaya still interacts with them. He's not going to break off contact, just a bit less than usual.

We've hit about 6000+ views for the story so far, so thanks to all of you who have read this! However, I checked the traffic graph and saw that the number of views was slowly going down with every chapter published. Oh well.

I'll keep on writing to finish this story, even though there may only be 1 viewer left at the end of it. I'm probably my own biggest fan, so that might be me…

Anyways, onwards to the next chapter.

* * *

"Hachi! Are you okay?"

Thanks for your concern, Megumi. Sadly, the answer to that question is no. If why, it absolutely, 100%, certainly has _nothing_ to do with that TEACHER over there.

Of course, everyone has doubts in their life. Whether it may be the intentions behind an action or the facts that make up science, every single one us will eventually doubt something in our lives. Possibly quite frequently.

The definition of doubt is, by noun, a feeling of uncertainty or lack of conviction. By verb, it is to feel uncertain, disbelieve or lack faith in something or someone.

"Hachi?"

"Hi, Ichiro-san."

Doubts can also range in intensity, which can cause monumental changes in the actions you do, if you choose to pursue any. For example, having doubts on whether you finished your homework would have a much lower effect than if your sister was going out with an ant. A certain one, to say the least.

" _Hachiman?"_

"K-Kawasaki, let's c-c down, okay?"

So as I glared at a modern Japanese literature teacher who was walking out of the class with a stack of worksheets in her hand, I had certain doubts about whether she was an actual teacher.

"She's not that bad of a teacher."

" _Hikigaya…_ "

"W-wait, Kawasaki!"

For all I know, she could be a martial arts master masquerading as one, while her real life was completely opposite of the one she pretended to live. One of the only good things I could learn from her is how to correctly and quietly take an insect out of my sister's life.

" _Hi-ki-ga-ya_ …"

Anyways, back to my earlier statements. Why did I feel this way? Why was I giving a lengthy monologue on the effects and intensity of doubt? Why was I doubting Hiratsuka-sensei in the first place about her status as a teacher? Simple.

She was forcing me to attend a wedding with her.

Hiratsuka-sensei was invited by her high school friend to attend her wedding. To add more salt to the wound, the groom was a rich, handsome bastard who was pretty far up in his company. Something about being on the 'board' or 'director' or something. Needless to say, I discovered this as I entered her office to hand in another essay to make up for the one I handed in about 'Changing yesterday'. The essay was the same, except I wrote about changing the day before, which was not yesterday.

Entering the office led me to find it in a mess, my teacher in a frenzy breaking every single object she could find, which included the essays. Noticing the open envelope on the table and catching a glimpse of the word 'wedding', I put two and two together and successfully deduced what had happened. Unfortunately, Hiratsuka-sensei saw me before I could conduct my grand escape, which led to me becoming captured.

* * *

"Hikigaya!"

"Y-yes Sensei?"

"Go with me to this wedding!"

"B-but I h-"

Sensei's knuckles stopped a millimetre short of my stomach.

"Sure, let's go. Anytime."

* * *

I'm sorry, Komachi, your Onii-chan is too much of a wimp to stand up against this teacher. I need to quickly level up my defence and build resistance to her martial arts! While I'm doing that, you should also strengthen your shield against that bug!

A pair of hands wrapped around my neck and I suddenly found myself unable to breathe. While Saki was strangling me to Valhalla, Megumi was struggling to pacify her as I could feel my vision turning black.

Meanwhile, all the other students were wondering what was happening next to my seat in the classroom.

* * *

"This is the second time you've almost killed me! In a span of three days! The first being at lunch two days ago!"

"Who was the one calling Taishi an insect?!"

"H-hey…" Thanks Megumi for trying to help us. But your pacifistic moves are ineffective right now.

"Oi! All of you, class is about to start!"

The sound of Hiratsuka-sensei's voice boomed around the classroom. People slowly walked back to their seats, taking out their material and books for the next lesson. I looked at Saki and slightly bowed my head "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

Her face morphed into one of surprise, then softened. "Sorry, I'll go back now." With a small wave, she headed back to her seat.

Megumi waved her hand in front of my face, obstructing my view of Saki. "Hey, Hachi.", she asked in a worried tone, "Is your face alright?"

I touched the pale bruise that was on my cheek, wincing slightly at the pain. Hiratsuka-sensei's punches hurt a lot, but this was the first time I had to get a bandage. When Komachi asked me what was wrong, to avoid worrying her, I told her it was a bicycle accident.

Damn, you Sensei! Forcing myself to lie to Komachi was similar to violating the government law itself.

Sitting down, I resigned myself to listening to role-call, responding only when my name was called. Yuigahama arrived just before her name was called, so by technicality, she wasn't considered late. As attendance taking ended, the bell rang and Sensei walked out, only to have my fat, pudgy math teacher walk inside.

"Now class, please open your workbooks an…" Let's skip the boring class that I'm going to fail anyway. Actually, let's fast forward until lunchtime.

Brinngg!

"Ok, class, remember to hand in your assignment by Monday."

Woah, what? Isn't it still supposed to be math lesson? Then why is my English teacher leaving the class? Don't tell me I have the power to manipulate time? Was I actually a god after all? Then why do I succumb to Sensei's mysterious punches? Weird.

I got up my seat and headed towards Kawasaki, who was still sitting down. Behind me, I could hear the cheerful footsteps of Megumi. "Yo, Kawasaki."

Kawasaki looked up, surprised to see me. "Hi, Hachiman."

"Hi guys! Let's go eat lunch right now!", Megumi exclaimed a little too loudly, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the door. Ouch, show some restraint! Did they not teach you proper manners befitting of the high-class society?

"Umm.. H-Hikki…"

A fourth voice spoke up, directed straight at me, causing all three of us to look towards its origin. Upon seeing who it was, Megumi moved a little bit closer to me while Kawasaki tightly gripped onto her chopsticks.

Unlike the two of them, only I knew who 'Hikki' was without the need to turn around and look for that person. Also, only I knew of one person who would call me by a nickname, having heard it many times before. Strangely, I was hoping it wasn't who I thought it was, but my hopes were crushed like an ant underneath a boot when I saw her.

Yuigahama was standing there awkwardly, her hands behind her back and clearly uncomfortable at being the target of two suspicious gazes and one deadpan stare. Hey, you brought this on yourself.

She coughed before looking up into my eyes. "Hikki…", she began. I remained frozen, preparing for the words to come flowing out of her mouth. "Can we talk?"

Silence. The most obvious thing to say to another person if you and them have tension built between you two. To talk with others, to make them understand what you did, what they did. To come up with a solution and solve the problem, going back into the relationship you previously had with that person. As if it never happened in the first place and it was just another event through your stage of youth.

"Hachi's not going anywhere with you."

Megumi was the one to answer her, with Kawasaki nodding her head. Megumi then glanced at me with, her eyes worried. "Hachi, let's go. We need to eat lunch."

"It's fine. You guys go on ahead."

"Eh?"

"What?"

I didn't know why I said that. Maybe it was because of the fact that Yuigahama and I were no longer friends or close to each other. Just acquaintances, nothing more, maybe even less. There wasn't any reason to even refuse her offer, so no harm would be done.

Yuigahama looked a tiny bit relieved at overcoming an obstacle. "Ah, then can you come with me Hikki?", she asked, "I, umm…"

"Yuigahama, where are we going?", I asked bluntly. Going straight to the point will make this faster.

"Umm, yeah, right. H-Hikki…". Yuigahama headed straight for the door, so I naturally followed her. Glancing one last time behind me, I saw the perturbed expressions on their faces. I put my thumbs up to show that I was okay.

I followed Yuigahama, watching her small figure as she walked. Slowly, the surroundings became familiar and I recognised the path that we were taking. It was the one that led to the roof.

Reaching the roof, Yuigahama turned around to face me, her face showing signs of regret. She opened her mouth, but I knew what she was going to say. Her eyes, face, body posture… they all faintly indicated towards the one thing I knew she wanted to talk to me about alone. I turned my head and said, "I'm not joining the club. I'm not going to go back."

Yuigahama had tears welling up in the corner of her eyes, "Hikki, please, give me another chance! Give _us_ another chance!"

"I can't and I won't.", I said bitterly. "Besides, it's for the better."

Yuigahama shook her head frantically. "Hikki, it's no-"

"I heard what you guys said!", I snapped back. "Everything! Was this why everytime I stepped through the doors, the atmosphere changed from joyful to sombre? Was this why you guys jubilantly talked about how bad I am? It's okay, I'm over the whole thing."

"Hikki-!"

"I need to go somewhere now. Bye." I didn't know why I made up that false excuse. Maybe it was because I didn't want to listen anymore to her words. As I walked away, I felt a hand grab the sleeve of my blazer. "Hikki! Please wait, let me explain my actions!", she cried.

"I need to go.", I stated, repeating the same words with a monotone tone.

"Please, I'm sorry!"

I paused to think. She was sorry for those words? The ones she said and meant every single one of them? Like a famous saying I once heard, 'Words can be dropped but not taken back.'

I grabbed her hand and pulled it off of me. Then, I turned around to face her directly. For a second, she looked hopeful, but her hopes were crushed by the next words that came out of my words.

"I don't need to hear you explain. I've heard enough." With that, I left her standing on the roof by herself.

"Hikki! Please!"

Her words fell on deaf ears.

* * *

Ichiro Megumi POV

I was waiting for Hachi along with Kawasaki. We were currently by the vending machine where he usually buys his MAX Coffee. Outside, I was probably sporting a calm and composed look, but I was secretly worried inside.

When that pink-haired girl, Yuigahama, as Hachi had called her, came to us, I was immediately wary of her. Out of all the three girls back in that room, she looked like she was the one who was most affected. She even called Hachi 'Hikki', which I'm guessing was her nickname for him.

That itself was very surprising, at least to me. Her words must have hurt him a lot since she was the closest one to him out of those three. I guess that even nice girls can be bad sometimes.

"Hey, where do you think he is?", I asked Kawasaki, who looked like she was engrossed in deep thinking.

"Kawasaki?", I asked curiously. She looked up, seeing me standing there. "What are you thinking about?"

She blushed and waved her hands in front of here, then dropped and sullenly said, "Nothing."

I had half a mind as to what she was thinking, but I didn't press the on the matter even further. She, just like me, was most likely also worried about Hachi. For the second time, I wondered what they were talking about. It's probably that girl, Yuigahama, asking Hachi to join the club. Either that, or she was greatly thanking him for leaving. Though I didn't believe in the latter option.

So that meant she wanted Hachi to join the club. But why? She basically hoped that he would leave or get kicked out, so asking him to join once he left wasn't reasonable.

Unless she wanted him to join under a false sense of remorsefulness, then use him like she did before. That I could believe since it seemed to be the most plausible option.

I bristled at the thought of Hachi accepting it. He wouldn't… would he? He seemed to be very close to those girls before he quit, so maybe he might just…

...No, Megumi, you're overthinking this. Hachi wouldn't accept, he would just reject the offer and move on…

..would he?

As I grew stressed over the matter, the sound of footsteps snapped me out of my thoughts. To be more specific, I recognised the walking style of the footsteps. Hachi was airing towards us, his face showing hints of annoyance. Kawasaki also recognised Hachi as well and was staring at him like I was.

Hachi eventually noticed us standing there. "Yo."

"Hi, Hachi!", I shouted, earning myself two annoyed glares.

"Could you please not be so loud?", Kawasaki muttered quietly. Pretending to not hear her, I ran towards Hachi, wrapping my arms around his. I reddened at noticing how warm he was and I relished it. Ahhhh, if only time could stop now…

"So how was it?", I asked cautiously. He looked at me with those eyes of his, those eyes that I fell in love with.

To him, I probably looked like a friend asking an innocent question, concerned about the other's wellbeing. Having grown up and forced to attend formal events and parties, I acted like how everyone and my family expected me to act. A rich, well-raised woman who would one day grow up and become a splitting image of my mother now, in both looks and personalities.

Right now, my heart was thumping with the thought of him saying 'yes', to go back to the club where he would once again be with those girls. I didn't want him to worry about my views and opinions on it, especially Kawasaki's as well.

However, I knew that no matter how hard I tried to put one up, he could easily see through it with his eyes, as if I was an open book for him to read. Of course, he was one to see through the facade's of others anyways.

"Fine.", he responded casually, "She asked me to join, but I refused her."

Both Kawasaki and I gave out audible sighs of relief. Hachi looked at me, then focused his gaze on her, observing both of us. "What happened?"

I smiled. "Nothing.", I said, "Just glad you didn't say 'yes'."

He snorted. "I don't have any reason to say that.", he stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "If I did, they'd do the same thing again."

Kawasaki nodded. "Yeah, and I wouldn't bother giving them a good talking-to.", she said darkly.

At that moment, I detached myself from Kawasaki and fist-bumped her. "Don't worry, I'll support you all the way."

Hachi coughed, then raised his hand. "Er, there's no need to go so far.", he told us, nervousness lacing all his words.

Kawasaki and I immediately glowered at him. "You were saying something?"

"Yes, Hachiman, please speak up."

Faced with the true nature of two, wrathful girls, he took the most obvious option. "I think I'll buy some Max Coffee…"

After that episode, I suddenly remembered something. "Hachi, what's the time?", I asked urgently.

Hachi pulled out his phone from his left pocket. "It's 7 minutes until 12:20 pm.", he told me. "Why?"

Kawasaki realised what I was getting at. "Lunch."

Hachi looked surprised, then blinked. "I'll just eat after school."

Whatever he was expecting, it didn't include me grabbing his arm and pulling towards the cafeteria. "No, you're not.", I declared, "We're sharing my lunch." Yeah, I woke up extra early to prepare lunch for him. It wasn't because I liked him or anything, hehehe, we're just friends.

Although I secretly we could be more...

I was suddenly tugged towards the other side, almost falling over. After regaining my balance, I looked to see who it was. Kawasaki had grabbed Hachi's other hand and was pulling him towards the cafeteria. "Hachiman, let's go.", she told him, "We're getting lunch."

"Uh, sure- Ouch!", he yelped. "Stop dragging me like that."

As they were walking away, I could see Kawasaki give me a triumphant glance at me. I growled in anger. Quickly, I ran towards them and pulled Hachi into another direction.

"Ouch! What are you guys doing?"

"I have food for you, Hachi, and you're eating it."

"Oh no, you don't!"

While the two of us bickered, Hachi looked like he was having a huge headache. Well, in the end, it's your fault. How? Because it has to be.

A few minutes of lunch later, classes ending and the routinely ringing of the bell, the three of us went outside to go home. Kawasaki rushed away, something to do with a 'Keika' or 'dinner' or something. This left the two of us by ourselves. By two, I mean me and… well, take a guess.

As Hachi and I stood by the gates, watching people slowly trickle out of the building, I wondered if that girl, Yuigahama, was among them. A sudden thought struck my mind.

"Hey, Hachi, how do you know that girl?", I asked.

He looked at me incredulously. Seems like he knew who I was referring to. "You don't know Yuigahama?"

I shook my head. He sighed and rubbed his head.

"You know, Yuigahama Yui? The bubbly, energetic girl?"

"Nope."

"The one who's always around Hayama's clique?"

"No."

"The girl who came late on Wednesday?"

"Ohhh, her. Yeah, I remember now."

He looked at me blankly. "You don't, do you?"

"Hehe, well, no."

"Why don't you remember?"

As I recalled back to that day, I remembered myself constantly poking Hachi on the cheek. Come to think of it, his hair smel- Wait, Megumi! Stop! You can't have these thoughts right now, he's right in front of you!

I forced the memories to the back of my head, locking them away in the special part of my brain stored for such things. "I do remember her being part of the Service club, though."

Hachi nodded. "Yeah, she still is."

We stood in silence, until I remembered something. Again. "Hachi, you said she was part of that clique led by, what was his name again?"

"Hayama?"

Oh, him. That blonde, super cool kid. He was always trying to put on a false, first impression of himself everywhere. It was really annoying, seeing all the girls fawn over him. I mean, it's gotten very, very annoying. Before every party, mom would always talk about how I needed to make a good impression on him so that he would be attracted to me.

Sorry mom, I've already set my sights on someone and he's standing right here next to me.

"Yeah, him."

Comparing Hachi to Hayama, the latter wins in terms of popularity by a long shot. He has the looks, grades, smarts… everything a boy would aspire and envy. Hachi was the complete opposite. Alone, bottom of the ladder, creepy. I constantly heard the insults and gossip of Hachi, who wasn't in the slightest bit fazed by it. Hearing about it made my blood boil. I wanted to strangle those people that instant.

But did I have the right to do so?

" _Oh look, it's Hikkifroggaya!"_

" _Hahaha!"_

"Megumi?". I heard Hachi's concerned voice, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see his eyes showing legitimate worry. For a while, I imagined if he looked at his little sister like that.

I then registered a wetness on my face. A single tear had flowed down my cheek and onto my chin. I wiped it away and smiled brightly at him to ease his worries. "I'm fine."

I opened my eyes only to see his face quite near mine. A few seconds passed before we both realised what was happening. I quickly jumped back and looked somewhere else to clear my head of the thoughts that were flooding in. The sky, or-or the birds, think of something other than…!

"H-Hikigaya-kun?", a soft voice choked out. Hearing Hachi's last name, I looked around for the caller and saw Yukinoshita Yukino standing there. She was wide-eyed, staring at both me and him and I suspected the reason why.

"Did I interrupt something?", she asked. Before I could answer that she was, Hachi beat me first. "Nope, nothing."

Yukinoshita nodded, relief appearing in her eyes. "Then, could I talk to you for a second?"

Of course, she wasn't asking me. The look she had in her eyes were showing with the hope that he would talk with her. I half-hoped that he wouldn't talk to her, but knowing him, I had a feeling that he would. Unfortunately, that feeling was right.

"Ok.", Hachi said, "What?"

Yukinoshita's eyes darted around at the people exiting the building. Some of them already noticed us and were whispering behind their hands to each other. Literally. They had their hands up to cover their mouths and I could almost catch what they were saying. Sadly, their obnoxious voices weren't loud enough. 'Inside. Let's go."

She grabbed Hachi's wrist and I almost protested there and then. However, I knew it wouldn't do him any good and so I resigned myself to watching Yukinoshita pull a sputtering Hachi back into school.

By now, people had already noticed what was going on and were talking about it in loud and hushed voices.

'Hey, did you-?"

"...Yukinoshita-san…?"

"You think…?"

Some people were pulling out their phones and typing on them, presumably on texting their friends on what they witnessed. Tomorrow, I guessed that rumours and gossip would be flying around, varying in an assorted number of ways.

From what I heard, Yukinoshita was an extremely popular girl. She was basically a female version of Hayama without the social skills and friends. That was mostly due to her cold and unfriendly demeanour, which she never showed during events, especially around her mother. So running with Hachi would definitely sprout up some rumours which would inevitably spread.

One of the most irritating things I've ever experienced and will always hate is going to formal events. Boys would come up to talk to me, making laughable endeavours to try and court me. I would just smile and reject them politely, like how my mother taught me as I was growing up. Sometime, she would even berate me for turning them down unlike my dad, who would give me a thumbs-up whenever he saw a guy walking away from me with 'rejected' sprawled all over his face. Although, Yukinoshita Haruno would usually be their backup plan unless they already tried her.

I didn't need to do much to get a guy all over me. Just look and act well. Popular girls were like that, even Yukinoshita should know.

In the end, it's funny how I could try so hard to get one guy to notice me, yet he would remain oblivious and dense to my advances.

" _Barriers don't work against Hikigermia, remember?"_

" _Look how lonely and pathetic he is!"_

Of course, I ended up being one of his friends, his first one in fact. That gave me a superior advantage against Kawasaki, since I knew him longer than she had. To him, I was probably a nice girl, a kind one.

" _Hikkikomori! Hahaha!"_

I wasn't always like one.

* * *

So Yuigahama and Yukinoshita finally make an appearance! No Isshiki yet though.

You know what was one of my fears when writing this chapter? I mean, my fear may relate to other writers, but I wouldn't know. Maybe it's every writer's fear, no matter what they were writing.

It's writing a chapter, worrying if it will be the one that messes up the story.

I pretty much make up the chapter's as I go, so I never plan ahead. The only ways I plan are reading making up ideas as I write, possibly using some of them now or in the future. So that's why the quality may not be that good.

Also, the next chapter will come in a long time, possibly next, next week. I have to go for an extremely long camp, so I can't even write during that time. Anyways, did you guys like the ending of this chapter? Any questions raised up in your head?

It's time for 7 personal responses to your reviews:

OsteoPoro: Thanks man! But don't let my stories distract you from your studies.

Eyy: Thank you! I'm sorry for the repetitive Hikigaya and Megumi POV, but tell me what POVs you would like.

Anonmata: Yes, Megumi does have something she doesn't like. The drama is coming quite slow, but I will include at least two POVs of other characters next chapter that will further the story. Thanks for the long review!

Guest: Harsh and critical. I like it. Writing a fanfic like this, especially the one about Oregairu, is very taxing since you have to write about the psychological thoughts of others and their opinions as well. But thanks for the review!

OtakuTrunks: Sorry for the fact Yukinoshita appeared and left, having very little screen time. I plan to write about her soon, especially her POV, although it might be hard.

wildarms13: Thanks for your opinion on Hiratsuka's POV! It'll probably be a very rare POV since it's not centred around her. As for the club idea… sorry, only one club included, and that's the Service club.

TheDarkHollow: Thank you! I'm afraid the interaction here may not have been good or well-written, but nice to know what parts of this story are nice.

Reviews done, thank you all for reading this! This is _not_ the ending, even though the title has the word 'ending' in it. See you later!


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